Dephosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 by the tyrosine phosphatase PTP2C

The phosphotyrosine (Tyr(P)) form of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) is a key component in insulin signaling. Our previous study revealed that Tyr(P) IRS-1 binds to the widely distributed tyrosine phosphatase PTP2C through the src homology 2 (SH2) domains of the latter. In the present study, we examined the activity of this enzyme and of a truncated form lacking the SH2 domains (delta PTP2C) toward IRS-1 and also toward the cytoplasmic domain of the insulin receptor. Tyr(P) IRS-1 was prepared by phosphorylation of recombinant IRS-1 with recombinant cytoplasmic insulin receptor kinase (CIRK). PTP2C rapidly dephosphorylated Tyr(P) IRS-1; dephosphorylation by delta PTP2C was approximately one-third as fast. Other substrates, including Tyr(P) CIRK, were not dephosphorylated as rapidly by PTP2C; moreover, delta PTP2C was at least 10 times more active than PTP2C toward CIRK and other substrates. These results indicate that the binding of Tyr(P) residues on IRS-1 to the SH2 domain(s) of PTP2C enhances its activity toward IRS-1 and suggest that PTP2C is the phosphatase responsible for the dephosphorylation of IRS-1 in vivo. In addition, with the expectation that a PTP2C-resistant form of IRS-1 will be useful in investigations of IRS-1 function, we determined that IRS-1 can be thiophosphorylated with adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) and CIRK and that this form of IRS-1 is resistant to PTP2C.